MPs to start quizzing Andy Burnham under new devolution deal

Greater Manchester’s MPs will publicly scrutinise mayor Andy Burnham under new arrangements agreed as part of the latest handing over of powers.

The new devolution deal which was agreed last month gives the Labour mayor more control over technical education, housing standards and local trains.

The government also agreed to give Greater Manchester a single funding settlement which gives the mayor more of a say over how money is spent rather than having to bid for separate pots of cash for specific projects.

However, in return for these new powers, Mr Burnham and the 10 council leaders will now be subject to scrutiny by MPs as well as local councillors.

The 65-page document which was signed on 21 March commits to allowing MPs who represent Greater Manchester constituencies to scrutinise the mayor and other portfolio holders – which includes council leaders and the deputy mayor – in public, broadcasted sessions held four times a year.
 

Read more: Historic moment as Greater Manchester leaders sign new devolution dealPublished: 22 March 2023

These sessions could take the form of Grand Committees which are forums for all MPs representing a nation, such as Scotland or Wales, to meet in Parliament.

The trailblazer devolution deal also states that the mayor must attend up to one council meeting a year in each borough, as well as parliamentary select committees, when invited. Mayor’s Question Time events – where the public can quiz Mr Burnham directly – must also continue as a condition of the deal.

The details of the sessions for MPs are set to be agreed by the summer. Speaking at the first Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) meeting after the deal was signed last month, Mr Burnham explained more.

He said: “There was a call from Greater Manchester MPs for more oversight at that level. I referenced the Welsh and Scottish situation. They have had a Grand Committee in Parliament for many years since devolution where MPs from Wales and Scotland are able to cross-question ministers from the Scottish government. I suggested something similar here – that there could be a Grand Committee – and it would seem that has found some favour in the text of the deal.”

Scrutiny committees made up of councillors from different political parties representing each borough of Greater Manchester already exist. But the trailblazer deal commits to making some changes to the way they work, including paying members of the overview and scrutiny committee to attend.

Councillors on the committee welcomed the new deal at a meeting held on 22 March – the day after it was signed – but they raised concerns about MPs ‘duplicating’ their work which should be given ‘parity of esteem’. GMCA chief executive Eamonn Boylan told the committee that the latest deal is a ‘very significant step forward’, but said there is still an ‘awful lot of work to do’.

The GMCA endorsed the deal at a meeting on 24 March where a timetable for the next steps were set out by Mr Burnham. A governance review will now be carried out with a draft proposal set to be agreed by the GMCA on 26 May.

A public consultation on the new arrangements is expected to take place over the summer before the scheme is submitted to the government in September. The legal changes associated with the deal must be approved by Parliament – a process which Mr Burnham said should be done no later than March 2024.

Joseph Timan, Local Democracy Reporting Service